Stephanie’s comment > Likes and Comments

"I personally felt that his death was much more than what you are stating. The book is about love - not about being a hero."

I hadn't thought of that--that's a good point.

"Throughout the entire story it shows Valjean learning about love, and giving that to others. Showing that when you are kind and respect others, you can be forgiven."

But the thing is, Valjean didn't seem to exhibit that sense of forgiveness at the end. He thought of himself as inferior and unworthy because he had been a convict, not as forgiven and worthy of love. He was still hating himself for his past sins, it seems.

"I truly felt that his death came in peace, and the author wanted it that way."

I agree on both points. However, just because he died in peace, I don't think his death was noble or anything like that. He sure didn't have any peace up until about an hour before his death.

"Valjean's journey was meant to show that good comes with love and forgiveness. That peace comes with love and forgiveness. And his death gave him peace."

Although Valjean seemed to have peace, I personally don't think his peace really came from love and forgiveness. It actually seemed to come more from:

1) Getting to see Cosette for one last time.
2) Knowing that he was about to die, and that his suffering would soon be over.

"I also felt that it was (for me personally) the only place to end the story. It was meant to show that final lesson in love and forgiveness, and nothing further. Such a beautiful lesson to learn."

I can understand what you're saying about the only place to end the story, Stephanie. I'm sure a lot of others would agree with you too. But personally, I found it to be a mawkish, unoriginal ending. It almost seemed to me that Hugo was taking the lazy way out--he crafts a riveting story up to that point, and then it just kind of peters out at the end IMO. You know, just find a way to make everyone bring out their handkerchiefs. ;) If Valjean had to die so soon, I would rather have seen him get severely injured in an accident (or something similar) while living happily with Marius and Cosette than just waste away from self-pity and a broken heart.

And as I said, I also didn't think that Valjean's death primarily taught a lesson in love and forgiveness. In fact, I thought it said as much about the destructiveness of self-pity and obsessive love, and the injustices of French society, as anything else. For me, the ending was above all tragic. Perhaps "beautifully" tragic, but tragic all the same. I mean, this wasn't a man who died at 93 who had lived out all his days--this was someone who just a few weeks before had been in excellent physical health, but then went downhill in a hurry, due in no small part to his own actions. And he was leaving behind a daughter and son-in-law who would be utterly devastated over losing their "father," and perhaps blame themselves to some degree for the rest of their lives for having "caused" his death.

Of course, I suppose Hugo always intended for his book to be a tragedy. Here's the dictionary definition of "tragedy":

"a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, esp. one concerning the downfall of the main character."

LM would definitely qualify. After all, I guess he didn't call his novel "Les Miserables" for nothing. LOL.

Anyway, thanks for your thoughts, Stephanie.

Here's another definition of tragedy from another dictionary that also seems to fit: :)

"A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances."

I love goodreads for this reason, so many ways of seeing and feeling the same text. You bring up all excellent points. Just one last thought from me in regards to:

"Although Valjean seemed to have peace, I personally don't think his peace really came from love and forgiveness. It actually seemed to come more from:

1) Getting to see Cosette for one last time.
2) Knowing that he was about to die, and that his suffering would soon be over."

I truly felt, and these were my thoughts as I read the ending, that Valjean felt forgiveness and peace by having Cosette appear at the end. Which created peace for him, and helped him to die and end his life long suffering. I am not certain that he would have been able to feel love and forgiveness in any other way after the way his life had gone. He truly felt he should suffer, and dealt with with it by punishing himself. And I felt that Hugo was symbolizing that seeing Cozette and her forgiveness toward him helped Valjean to forgive himself and let go.

I love that second definition of tragedy that you gave. It sums up how I feel on Valjean. It was his weakness that he felt punishing himself would bring him forgiveness. I personally do not understand how that could be the only way to forgiveness, but I am certain that that was Valjean's major flaw. And that it stemmed from the ridiculous laws in France.

"I love goodreads for this reason, so many ways of seeing and feeling the same text."

Definitely.

"You bring up all excellent points."

Thanks.

"I truly felt, and these were my thoughts as I read the ending, that Valjean felt forgiveness and peace by having Cosette appear at the end. Which created peace for him, and helped him to die and end his life long suffering."

So you're saying basically that Cosette symbolized forgiveness and peace for him? Yes, that makes sense.

"I am not certain that he would have been able to feel love and forgiveness in any other way after the way his life had gone. He truly felt he should suffer, and dealt with with it by punishing himself."

Yeah, he had a lot of crazy thinking stuck in his head (that perhaps anyone would have had coming from the same background). Nowadays we would say that he needed professional counseling in order to deal with the traumas inflicted on him by life. :) Too bad he couldn't have talked to Myriel again at that critical point.

"And I felt that Hugo was symbolizing that seeing Cozette and her forgiveness toward him helped Valjean to forgive himself and let go."

I can definitely see that.

"I love that second definition of tragedy that you gave."

I believe that one came from the American Heritage dictionary.

"It sums up how I feel on Valjean. It was his weakness that he felt punishing himself would bring him forgiveness. I personally do not understand how that could be the only way to forgiveness, but I am certain that that was Valjean's major flaw."

Excellent point.

"And that it stemmed from the ridiculous laws in France."

Yes, it seems that Hugo is trying to get us to see that French law and society created a serious flaw in Valjean (among other terrible things), one that he could not overcome by himself and which ultimately did him in. Hugo seems to be implying, "Look, France, you killed this honorable man, one who still had life left in him!" Indeed, LM seems to be both a tragedy and a morality play.

I agree with you. The book was about love as a treatment for the miseries of life. Hugo's characters learned different lessons in love.